We LOVE our leaf identification booklets we made from printouts off of the Nature’s Detectives website.

We used these ones, cut them out, laminated the, punched holes, and then put a keyring through it. And there you have an awesome little leaf identification booklet to take with you everywhere! I keep ours in our ‘going out’ backpack so it’s always there if we need it.

We also have one for seed identification, you can use this one and do the same as with the leaf booklet.

Today A found some elderberries herself by picking off a leaf from the tree, matching it to the booklet, and then telling me what she found! More blackberry and elderberry crumble coming!

We play simple games like this to help our 2 year old with reading. She loves these games, and they last only a couple minutes, so she never gets bored or feels like it’s ‘learning’!

We usually have a pile of animals or something, and the word cards. I’ll tell her what one says and show it to her, and ask her to match the animal to it. After we’ve done that, if she still wants to do more, I spread out the word cards and get her to match them, helping her if she doesn’t remember what they say. It’s mostly just to get her to look at the cards and be told what they say, in a fun way! The trick is to stop before the child is bored, so they always want to do it and don’t associate it with boredom.

I have loved the dolls made by Ulla Seckler at GermanDolls for a couple years now. Sometimes when we’re bored, my daughter and I sit and just look at all the dolls in her shop! I especially love the pocket dolls!

She also does larger dolls:

Another favorite shop of mine is Alkelda Dolls . Ok, so I like dolls!
Check out this totally cute little baby sleeping in its bed!